Bullying Victimization and Outcomes Among Adolescent Essay Paper
Researchers have been focusing on the impact of bullying victimization on depression symptoms, but only a few have explored the potential underlying mechanism. Based on a biological theory of depression, it is believed that experiencing bullying and stressful life events can trigger both psychological and physiological changes. Studies have indicated that victims of bullying are more likely to suffer from mental health issues such as anxiety and depression. Vacca et al. (2023) researched bullying victimization and its emotional outcomes among adolescents. The purpose of this paper is to methodologically analyze this research paper.
Previous Research Findings
Previous research studies have emphasized the negative impact of bullying on mental health. Numerous studies have revealed that individuals who have been bullied are more likely to suffer from symptoms such as depression, anxiety, and stress. These discoveries highlight the significance of comprehending the underlying mechanisms that contribute to this connection. Montes et al. (2022) conducted a meta-analytic review study estimating the psychological harm consequence of bullying victimization. This study involved 9030 individuals, investigated the impact of bullying victimization on psychological well-being, aimed to determine the extent of the harm caused and assessed the likelihood of no harm resulting from bullying victimization. Their study findings demonstrated a noteworthy and affirmative mean true effect size. This suggests that bullying victimization is linked to an average psychological harm of 29.7%, indicating a higher incidence of victimization and increased psychological damage. Another meta-analysis study by García-Hermoso et al. (2020) found that not meeting physical activity guidelines and spending too much time being inactive (such as watching screens for 2 hours or more daily) were associated with a 14% and 21% higher chance of experiencing bullying, respectively. (Mei et al., 2021) Bullying Victimization and Outcomes Among Adolescent Essay Paper
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A study by Koyanagi et al. (2019) analyzed data from the Global School-based Student Health Survey consisting of 134,229 adolescents 12 to 15 years of age. This data from 48 countries showed that bullying victimization was linked to a higher likelihood of suicide attempts, with a pooled odds ratio of 3.06 after adjusting for sex, age, and socioeconomic status. The more days a person was bullied in the past month, the greater the odds of attempting suicide. A systematic review and meta-analysis study by Samara et al. (2021) analyzed data from 257,247 children and adolescents. The study found that being a victim of bullying was linked to lower cognitive-motivational factors, ultimately leading to decreased academic performance. In a study conducted by Mei et al. (2021), it was discovered that the impact of being a victim of bullying on depressive symptoms was influenced by social anxiety. Additionally, the duration of sleep was identified as a factor that influenced the connection between bullying victimization and depressive symptoms. From this finding, biochemical and neuronal factors could mediate the underlying mechanism.
Limitations and Gaps
Previous studies have demonstrated a strong connection between being a victim of bullying and experiencing psychological distress, yet the exact mechanism behind this relationship remains unclear. The distinction between functional and dysfunctional coping strategies in previous studies is based on their ability to either facilitate or hinder individual functioning when dealing with stressful events. One viable model to explain these changes that has been suggested is the use of cognitive emotion regulation (CER) (Vacca et al., 2023). Previous research has confirmed that emotion regulation plays a crucial role in the connection between maltreatment and psychopathology.
To be more precise, it has been proposed that due to the well-documented relationship between childhood experiences of maltreatment (such as emotional and physical abuse) and emotion dysregulation, as well as the link between emotion dysregulation and psychopathology, it is reasonable to consider emotion dysregulation as a mediator in the maltreatment-psychopathology association. Some studies have also highlighted the importance of exploring other potential mediators, such as sleep duration, resilience, and internet addiction. One proposed method to understand this established association is by utilizing cognitive emotion regulation strategies. The studies conducted by the authors focused on the association between bullying victimization and depression and how specific emotion regulation strategies played a role in mediating this association. However, the authors did not take into account cognitive strategies and their impact. Bullying Victimization and Outcomes Among Adolescent Essay Paper
Study Objectives
The sample used in the previous study consisted of young adults. To build upon previous research, the present study aimed to evaluate the mediating role of both functional and dysfunctional cognitive emotion regulation (CER) strategies in the relationship between bullying victimization and not only depression but also anxiety and stress. This study specifically hypothesized that dysfunctional CER strategies would positively mediate the link between bullying victimization and psychopathological symptoms, while functional CER strategies would act as negative mediators. By including a sample of adolescents, this study aimed to provide a more comprehensive understanding of the relationship between bullying victimization and mental health outcomes.
Variables
The independent variable was bullying victimization, which is being examined as the predictor or root cause in the study. This variable encompasses the firsthand experience of being subjected to bullying, which can manifest in various forms, such as physical, verbal, or relational aggression, along with cyberbullying. The dependent variables included outcomes of dysfunctional cognitive emotion regulation (CER) strategies. These outcomes included depression, anxiety, and stress.
Essential Results
The outcomes of the study demonstrate strong connections between being bullied, using ineffective cognitive emotion regulation methods, and experiencing negative psychological effects. Being a victim of bullying was linked to using ineffective cognitive emotion regulation strategies, as well as feelings of depression, anxiety, and stress. Ineffective cognitive emotion regulation strategies were also strongly associated with depression, anxiety, and stress. The analysis showed that using ineffective cognitive emotion regulation strategies played a role in the relationship between being bullied and experiencing these negative psychological effects. This suggests that individuals who are bullied may be more likely to use unhealthy emotion regulation methods, leading to higher levels of depression, anxiety, and stress. Therefore, the findings also suggested that being bullied directly impacted outcomes of depression, anxiety, and stress, with some mediation involved. Conversely, effective cognitive emotion regulation strategies did not significantly mediate the connection between being bullied and psychological outcomes. However, they did have a unique positive impact on reducing depression and anxiety. Bullying Victimization and Outcomes Among Adolescent Essay Paper
Study Limitations
This study was a cross-sectional design which hinders the ability to establish causality or direction of influence. There is a pressing need for longitudinal studies to explore the mediating role of CER in the connection between bullying victimization and mental health symptoms among adolescents. Future investigations should focus on whether bullying victimization can forecast dysfunctional emotion regulation over time, potentially leading to the development of psychopathological symptoms. The reliance on self-reported measures in this study may be susceptible to social desirability bias, suggesting the necessity for more robust assessment methods like experimental tools. Qualitative approaches, such as structured interviews or daily diaries, could provide valuable insights into the subjective experiences of bullying victimization, emotion regulation, and psychopathology, complementing quantitative data.
Points for Future Research
The results presented in this study emphasize the significance of examining bullying incidents and participation in different contexts, particularly within schools, to mitigate the adverse impacts on the psychological well-being of teenagers. The current findings suggest that there is a positive correlation between functional and dysfunctional coping and emotion regulation strategies, as noted in previous research. This indicates that adaptive mechanisms may not be fully developed to counteract the adverse effects on adolescent mental health. Additional research is required to explore the developmental path of the interplay between the inclination to utilize dysfunctional and functional coping and emotion regulation strategies when dealing with bullying experiences. Bullying Victimization and Outcomes Among Adolescent Essay Paper
Conclusion
In this analysis, Vacca et al. (2023) conducted a study on bullying victimization and its emotional consequences among adolescents. Previous research studies have shown that being a victim of bullying is associated with decreased cognitive-motivational factors, which ultimately leads to lower academic performance. These studies revealed that the impact of bullying victimization on depressive symptoms is influenced by social anxiety. While the authors focused on the relationship between bullying victimization and depression, as well as the role of specific emotion regulation strategies, they did not consider the impact of cognitive strategies. Vacca et al.’s (2023) study aimed to assess the mediating role of both functional and dysfunctional cognitive emotion regulation (CER) strategies in the connection between bullying victimization and not only depression but also anxiety and stress. The findings suggest that maladaptive forms of CER strategies may serve as underlying mechanisms in the association between bullying victimization and emotional difficulties in adolescence.
References
García-Hermoso, A., Hormazabal-Aguayo, I., Oriol-Granado, X., Fernández-Vergara, O., & Del Pozo Cruz, B. (2020). Bullying victimization, physical inactivity and sedentary behavior among children and adolescents: a meta-analysis. The International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 17(1), 114. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12966-020-01016-4
Koyanagi, A., Oh, H., Carvalho, A. F., Smith, L., Haro, J. M., Vancampfort, D., Stubbs, B., & DeVylder, J. E. (2019). Bullying victimization and suicide attempts among adolescents aged 12-15 years from 48 countries. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 58(9), 907-918.e4. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaac.2018.10.018
Mei, S., Hu, Y., Sun, M., Fei, J., Li, C., Liang, L., & Hu, Y. (2021). Association between bullying victimization and symptoms of depression among adolescents: A moderated mediation analysis. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(6), 3316. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18063316
Montes, Á., Sanmarco, J., Novo, M., Cea, B., & Arce, R. (2022). Estimating the psychological harm consequence of bullying victimization: A meta-analytic review for forensic evaluation. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(21), 13852. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192113852
Samara, M., Da Silva Nascimento, B., El-Asam, A., Hammuda, S., & Khattab, N. (2021). How can bullying victimization lead to lower academic achievement? A systematic review and meta-analysis of the mediating role of cognitive-motivational factors. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(5), 2209. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18052209 Bullying Victimization and Outcomes Among Adolescent Essay Paper
